The Department’s updated guidelines are intended to provide clarity on the employer sponsored migration changes coming into effect from March 2018 while recent amendments to the Australian Citizenship legislation have been proposed to help secure its passage.

• Employers seeking to recruit employees from overseas will need to manage their expectations in terms of their ability to meet the new eligibility criteria for permanent employer sponsored migration from March 2018.
• Nevertheless, the transitional arrangements announced will be a welcomed relief for employers and their current employees who have held or applied for a Subclass 457 visa on 18 April 2017 and who are seeking to apply for permanent resident under the TRT stream. In addition, employees who have applied for their subclass 457 visas after 18 April 2017 may also potentially qualify after they have worked in their nominated occupation on a subclass 457 visa for a minimum period of 3 years.
• The costs of the training levy will need to be taken into consideration from March 2018 so employers may still consider bringing forward applications to lodge before March 2018 where possible.
• In relation to the proposed amendments to Australian citizenship legislation, Australian permanent residents who qualify under the current eligibility criteria should consider making their application before 1 July 2018.
• Finally, while the March 2018 changes to the subclass 457 and employer sponsored permanent categories are gaining the most attention, employers should also be prepared for the December 2017 changes.